Archive for the ‘ayres watch’ Category

Morning News Round-Up — 4.29.10: French Quarter, Pike Place Market, or Ikea?

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Earlier in the week we learned that the East Palo Alto Police Chief might be packing his bags for Seattle. Today we learn that he might actually need warmer clothes because he might be headed for New Orleans. New Orleans or Seattle… Hurricanes (the drink) or Coffee…
The French Quarter or Pike Place Market… or any of these things and Ikea… Seriously, how bad does this guy want out?
Is he (competent) or isn’t he? That’s the question that still needs to be answered in the retrial of William Ayres… and it will be decided in June because the second doctor that needed to evaluate William Ayres couldn’t do it in time to reach the deadline yesterday… Our friends at William Ayres Watch are on it…
If Caltrain is going to survive these tough economic times, which would be good for the Peninsula, it may only happen thanks to the folks at the California High-Speed Rail Authority… We love this idea for the pure love of irony…
Speaking of tough times, the breakup of the Belmont-San Carlos Fire Department will cause a spike in overtime, according to the Fire Chief. That will be great for everyone’s budget…
San Bruno is losing some staff too, but not to New Orleans or Seattle… but to budget cuts in order to balance the f-ed up budget…
Oh Atherton, you can never really get it right, can you? Salaries/ benefits are going up, even as everything is going to hell in a hand-basket. But what else would you expect?
The Burlingame Elementary School District might buy back a school site they previously sold to meet rising enrollment demand (and assuage an angry parent community who does not want huge classrooms…) That seems like a good way to spend money — sell land then buy it back…
The most awkwardly worded, yet informative, headline of the day goes to the Daily News: Menlo Park pre-school supervisor to retire following arrest for allegedly annoying teen girl… What else do you need to know?

Posted in atherton, ayres watch, burlingame elementary, Caltrain, East Palo Alto, EPA, hsr, ikea, mp, san bruno | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up — 3.17.10: Ayres Watch…

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010


Recently, the proposed Kmart site development in San Mateo and how $1.7 million in “neighborhood improvements” was in the news… well, it is in the news again and questions are being asked… and not the type of questions that will make this project a reality either…

Millbrae Councilmember Gina Papan has some logical (?) ideas about High Speed Rail…

David Bohannon has done another poll about his massive Menlo Park project… guess what it says? That people love the Bohannon project…

You know times are tough when robbers start steeling pizzas… but that’s what happened in Redwood City on Monday.

A different robbery in Redwood City is in the news this morning too… a robber tried to rob a police officers’ home — and the police officer caught him. Dumb.

The Citizens of Woodside track down mountain lions… or at least sighting of mountain lions.

Posted in ayres, ayres watch, bohannon, mountain lion, mp, papan, redwood city, san mateo | 1 Comment »

Morning News Round-Up — 12.1.09: Leave your guns at home Bill…

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

This is a crazy story: On Sunday night a Redwood City man, in an attempt to protect his family, grabbed his gun to chase away intruders. He did chase them off his property, but then he also took his gun (wearing only his underwear) and got in his car and chased the two dudes by car. Apparently the two would-be intruders called the police to report a crazy guy in his underwear carrying a gun was chasing their car down the street… The gun-wielding, family-protector may get charged with brandishing a weapon. (But not public indecency?)

If that story wasn’t today’s top story, this would have been: Remember a while back when William Ayre’s new defense attorney was trying to get the first jury’s contact information… well, that request was denied. (Much to the delight of those first jurors, no doubt…) Of course William Ayres Watch has the details too.

San Mateo decided to keep a public golf course publicly run and run a courier service for itself in order to save money. $560,000 in fact… That savings can help pay for an Assistant City Manager which the Council has agreed to hire as well…

In other City government news: Rich Cline will become the new Mayor of Menlo Park tonight… good night and good luck!

Here is a (very) local issue on the County’s docket today: whether or not to close Los Banos Avenue between Park Avenue and Ocean Blvd in Seal Cove…

Michelle Durand (Daily Journal) goes ‘rouge‘ about Sarah Palin going ‘rogue’… well played
Ms. Durand, well played…

Don’t drive drunk, whoever you are. Even if your car is full of (off-duty) police officers and you are a former officer, you are (hopefully) going to do some time… like this guy. We hear they like police in jail…

The recount that wasn’t… Lisa McCaffrey who had called for a recount in the Granada Sanitary District election because her opponent won by 10 votes, called off the recount. That stinks… Kevin Spacey and Al Gore wanted to make sure every vote was counted…

Posted in ayres watch, city of san mateo, durand, gore, gsd, rich cline, san mateo county, Sarah Palin, seal cove | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up — 11.18.09: Ayres Watch is Back…

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Williams Ayres, William Ayres, William Ayres… it is back in the news. The new defense attorney wants the names of the jurors from the mistrial… apparently this isn’t that unusual, but probably won’t be much fun for those old jurors… Remember, you can get all the latest and greatest at William Ayres Watchdog…

Speaking of (alleged) local crimes…

The shootee in the Skyline College shooting (and presumably the shooter) will face gun charges…

And this… the Menlo Park Police are looking at a “person of interest” in the fatal hit-and-run of a first grader last week.

And to fight these crimes…

Daly City is getting a new Police Chief from San Jose. The going is tough in San Jose — and the tough are heading north (apparently)… Watch Dog is hoping that the Daly City City Council doesn’t cut the guys salary if they start to disagree with his actions…

Nothing sets people off (apparently) than thinking about selling land that belongs to a school district. That’s the predicament that the San Mateo Union High School District finds itself as it looks at plans to sell Peninsula High School’s campus…

If you were expecting a change in the Half Moon Bay horses-on-beach policy, you got all you needed to know in The Review’s headline: ‘Status quo’ for horse riders…

Here is a non-shocker… the debate about the big Menlo Park project dubbed “the Bohannon Project” is “touchy“…

Speaking of touchy… When it comes to Atherton, we know from history that small-town politics can get ugly. Tonight, the Atherton Council will talk about repealing the “road impact fee” that developers pay when they are doing construction. Expect fire works, nasty words, and perhaps a hit to Atherton’s budget…

Posted in atherton, ayres watch, bohannon, daly city, hmb, mp, san mateo union, skyline college | 1 Comment »

Mistrial…

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Mistrial in the trial of William Ayres. More information to be published tomorrow as part of the Round-Up, plus (hopefully) some more information from the William Ayres Watchdog blog…

Posted in ayres watch | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up — 7.20.09: Day 5, with one less Juror

Monday, July 20th, 2009

We knew that the William Ayres’ molestation trial would be a wild one… but we thought that after the jury got the case and was deliberating, the fireworks would die down for a while… well, we were wrong. A juror was dismissed on Friday for having a personal conversation about an “inappropriate event” in her own life that made her more likely to believe the (alleged) victims’ memories… An alternate was seated instead. William Ayres Watch reminds us it is Day 5 of Jury deliberations…

Here is a story that first came across the local newspapers on Saturday: A hiker from San Carlos is missing in an area near Skeggs Point in unincorporated San Mateo County. The latest updates come from the Half Moon Bay Review from Sunday afternoon and the Chronicle this morning. At that point, there was still no sign of the hiker.

If there are two issues that get folks going in Belmont it is parks and neighborhoods… so when you try to plan for a new neighborhood park, get ready for some exciting times. That’s the case with a proposed park on Davey Glen Road (just off of El Camino Real)…

Speaking of parks… and housing… and industrial growth… and a bunch of other “land use” stuff, Redwood City is moving ahead with a revised General Plan. Which is pretty dry stuff in most places, but with Redwood City, land use and growth is never dry.

There was a fire Saturday at Zibbibbo Restaurant in Palo Alto… origins of the flames were undetermined at the time of this blogging… We hope we can still get our herb roasted top sirloin tonight.

Supervisors have started the conversation about new taxes and fees to help address their “structural deficit.” Join the club…

It is Monday, which (usually) means that Sue Lempert gives her take on local happenings in the Daily Journal. Today she gets in on the health care discussion in DC and a health care-related Civil Grand Jury report in 2008. She also talks about the Feds with how stimulus dollars are being used locally. (And to the loyal Watch Dog reader who often sends wise ass emails, stimulus dollars are not being used here…)

The Coastside Family Medical Clinic on-again/off-again bankruptcy filing is off-again… at least until July 24th when the next hearing will take place…

There was some scary excitement over the weekend when a local bomb squad detonated an explosive devise at a Pacifica apartment complex…

0n a final, sad note, former Burlingame Mayor Don Lembi died at the age of 63 from “complications from diabetes.”

Posted in ayres watch, belmont, burlingame, city of san carlos, coastside family, lempert, pacifica, palo alto, redwood city, supervisors | 1 Comment »

Morning News Round-Up — 7.15.09: Taxes, taxes everywhere…

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

The molestation trial of William Ayres is in the jury’s hands now. So we wait… if you haven’t already, you should check out William Ayres Watch(dog) for more details.

Yesterday we learned that Palo Alto’s Mayor won’t seek reelection in November, today it’s San Bruno Mayor Larry Franzella’s turn to call it quits…

And in an unexpected move, at least to Watch Dog, the Belmont City Council said no to putting a hotel tax on the November ballot. Perhaps Belmont wants their hotels to be cheaper than San Mateo…

Because San Mateo put two measures on the November ballot: 1/4 cent sales tax increase and a 2 percent hotel tax hike.

Atherton is also (likely) going to the ballot with a tax. In Atherton’s case, it is a renewal of a parcel tax that seems to fund everything in Town and is expensive… the average household pays $750 per year.

Speaking of taxes… Millbrae property owners voted to renew (or not) a fire assessment. The ballots were due yesterday and are now being counted…

Daily Journal Editor Jon Mays gets Congresswoman Jackie Speier’s perspective on the State Budget mess. She’s been to Sacramento and now she’s in DC — so she knows her stuff. A choice quote: “…I think they’ve lost their way…” Yup.

Posted in atherton, ayres watch, belmont, city of san mateo, daily journal, jon mays, millbrae, san bruno, speier | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up — 7.14.09: Bastille Day Edition…

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Bon jour…

If you’ve been meaning to be at the courthouse for part of the molestation trial of Dr. William Ayres, you better hurry. Final arguments are upon us… Follow the proceedings (with a point of view) at William Ayres Watch(dog).

The San Bruno City Council is in the budget cutting hot-seat tonight as they (likely will) approve furlough days for their employees for the upcoming fiscal year.

To avoid (really) severe cuts, Millbrae property owners are voting on a renewal of their fire assessment. Ballots are due today — so get on it!

Have we seen this headline before? (Courtesy of the Daily Journal): Four teens walk away from unfenced Camp Glenwood

Mountain lions. Bees. Really.

Remember when there was going to be a biodeisel plant in Pacifica? So do we… fond memories.

The Woodside drama involving Steve Jobs, the Woodside City Council, historic preservationists, and the Jackling House could be coming to an end. An agreement has been reached to allow for the dismantling of the “historic” house.

Politics + Palo Alto = Great Fun. Mayor Peter Drekmeier will NOT seek reelection, opening up the field for a free-for-all for Palo Alto’s City Council in November. Stay tuned…

Speaking of mid-Peninsula politics, sort of… Meg Whitman “loaned” her campaign $15 million.

More importantly (?), David Lim received the endorsements of San Mateo City Councilmember Jan Epstein and Supervisor Mark Church.

Showing that they too can keep up with the 24-hour news cycle, the Almanac finally posts a story about the Civil Grand Jury’s report on the Garbage Saga.

Posted in almanac, ayres watch, church, city of palo alto, david lim, drekmeier, epstein, garbage, millbrae, pacifica, san bruno, whitman, woodside | 1 Comment »

CORRECTION/UPDATE Morning News Round-Up — 7.13.09: Off-Day for Lance/ On-Day for Sonia

Monday, July 13th, 2009

We haven’t talked about High Speed Rail in a while, especially as it relates to San Mateo County’s chief NIMBYs (Atherton and Menlo Park). This weekend we learned that the High Speed Rail Authority (obviously) rejected a settlement offer from Menlo Park and Atherton regarding their lawsuit.

Here is a lawsuit we have heard a lot about, the trial of William Ayres. The County Times breaks down a very busy, and possibly pivotal, week last week in the trial. Remember, Dr. Ayres himself took the stand himself in his own defense.

San Mateo City employees have agreed to feel part of the economic pinch by forgoing pay raises and taking some furloughs. (Furlough is the new vacation…) No so for the County’s in-home health care workers, who are going to keep their wages and their jobs if the Supervisors pass a proposal tomorrow night. (Which they will pass this.)

To fill their budget gap, San Carlos has been polling residents/ voters about paying higher local taxes. San Carlos leaders seem pleased with the 62 percent of the folks that say they’ll vote yes — unfortunately for San Carlos, you need 2/3 support for a new tax. We’ll see how this goes.

CORRECTION/UPDATE: SAN CARLOS ACTUALLY NEEDS 50% + 1 VOTE, NOT 2/3.

Unsurprisingly, public libraries up and down the County are facing tough economic times too. As an added kick in the pants, visitors to libraries are up in most places, at least from Watch Dog’s experience.

A unique consequence of the auto industry’s downfall is that big blocks of land that were being preserved for possible auto dealerships, like the old Century 12 land in Redwood City on the east side of 101, are now back in play for a variety of land uses. One developer, SyWest Development, wants to build 500 housing units and some commercial space on the once future home of an auto dealer. Imagine the great views of 101 those 500 housing units would have!

Sue Lempert has a few (ok, a lot) of ideas about what the next Governor should be like/should do. In her Daily Journal column, she runs through each of the contenders (and non-contenders too)…

Posted in ayres watch, city of san carlos, city of san mateo, hsr, lempert, libraries, redwood city, san mateo county, sywest | No Comments »

Morning News Round-Up — 7.10.09: Two local, legal battles heat up…,

Friday, July 10th, 2009

Sorry to begin with, but it is certainly the quote of the day: “I’ve never massaged a penis…” You guessed it, that’s Dr. William Ayres‘ speaking in his own defense.

Another very serious local legal battle is heating up. The Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia is being sued by Pez Candy Inc. for copyright infringement. (The previous two sentences are true.)

We have seen lots of reports coming out of the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury, but we haven’t learned a lot about the folks on the actual Grand Jury. Until today. The Daily Journal does a write up of Virginia Chang Kiraly, the Grand Jury forewoman…

Speaking of the Civil Grand Jury… today’s report says that the County is losing out on all kinds of money. And anther update on the Civil Grand Jury: the full TRASHTALK report is published for all of you with nothing to do this weekend…

On the flip side, there are folks at Sustainable San Mateo County and San Mateo Acting Responsibly Together are looking to save folks money through energy efficiency programs in your home.

We hope that the local folks in Sacramento photocopy the Daily Journal Editorial today about the dysfunction in Sacramento and pass the copies around to their colleagues.

COWs of Woodside delve into the new cost for Woodside for outsourcing their police protection to the Sheriff’s Department.

A letter on Coastsider does its best to imitate the Civil Grand Jury calling for new leadership at the Coastside County Water District.

Ahhh, politics. In Palo Alto, expect the next City Council race to be a biggy. Councilman John Barton is not seeking another term. That makes three Council-folk from Palo Alto that won’t be on the ballot in November: Barton, Yoriko Kishimoto, and Jack Morton. The other folks up in November are Larry Klein, who is running again, and Peter Drekmeier, who will let us all know on Monday. Hold on to your hats, it could be a real barnburner in Palo Alto in November.

Posted in ayres watch, civil grand jury, coastsider, COW, daily journal, palo alto, pez | 1 Comment »

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